SakéOne, a saké brewing facility and importer located in the northwestern corner of the Willamette Valley, is one of only six brewing facilities in the U.S. and the only one in Oregon. They not only produce high quality, incredibly delicious craft saké, but they import some of the finest and highest quality sakés from Japan.

Being the fan that I am of the wines from my beautiful home state of Oregon, and everything that has to do with the Oregon wine industry; including, the wineries and vineyards, the winemakers, the harvesters, the gorgeous rolling hill wine country, the thriving varietals and the hundreds of micro-climates throughout the state, I always get super excited when there’s a new addition to the already fabulous list of wineries we have.

As a wine writer, I receive a lot of wine for review purposes, but when I receive wine that’s not only from my home state, but also from the super unique Illinois Valley AVA, I get really excited. When I opened the box to find four vibrantly-labeled Deer Creek Vineyards wines, I knew I was in for a treat.

Local wineries will be swinging their doors open for one of the South Willamette Valley’s most celebrated 3 day weekends: Memorial Day Weekend. Winery Open Houses will be happening throughout the valley, it’s the official kick-off to the summer season.

One of the best benefits of wine writing is receiving review samples of wine from around the world – a perk that’s certainly refined my palate and afforded me experiences with wine I would have otherwise never had. There is nothing, however, that excites me more than receiving review samples from Oregon wineries – where my heart and passion for my favorite beverage clearly shines through my writing

I mentioned briefly in last week’s Wine Down Eugene that I had recently attended the first ever Pacific Northwest Cool Climate Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) Conference. This week;’s Wine Down gives a briefing on what we experienced during the conference…much more is to come.

Reflecting on just the past two weeks alone, I have had the opportunity to join in on three absolutely fabulous and memorable events, and although each of the three events were totally unique and different, they all shared a common ground: wine.

These wine racks are like nothing I’ve ever seen – solidly engineered with precision from reclaimed barn wood, there’s no chemical treatment whatsoever and every crevice and grain of the wood, undoubtedly, has a story to tell.

Each of the three Kramer Vineyards Chardonnays were unique thumbprints of the weather patterns of their harvested years – showcasing excellent varietal characteristics special to their vintage, terroir and Kim’s impressive winemaking style.

Hosted by SakéOne, producers of premium Oregon craft saké and importers of high quality saké from Japan, vendors that participated in sharing their craft beverages alongside Saké One for the Oregon Craft Beverage event included a cidery, a brewery, a distillery, a meadery, and a winery that’s home to the oldest Pinot Noir vines in the Willamette Valley.

From some of the well-known pioneers like David Adelsheim (who brought the first Dijon Chardonnay clones into the state) to today’s generation of impassioned producers like Melissa Burr of Stoller Family Estate, we heard from each panel member about their thoughts on the future of Oregon Chardonnay at the recent Oregon Chardonnay Symposium.

The Tap and Growler is bringing together two rock stars of the local wine and beer scene in for a Wine vs. Beer Food Pairing Event: Jonathan Scott Oberlander of J. Scott Cellars and Matt Van Wyk of Oakshire Brewing, and pairing their beverages with food from Noisette Pastry Kitchen. Check it out:

In last week’s Wine Down Eugene, I mentioned my excitement regarding an invitation I had received to join a panel of judges for a wine judging competition in Cannon Beach, Oregon: SavorNW Wine Awards. The SavorNW Wine Awards, now in its third consecutive year, takes place about a week and a half before the Savor Cannon Beach Wine & Culinary Festival.